Disposable absorbent articles, such as diapers, are designed to contain bodily exudates, such as urine, to prevent the soiling of the wearer's clothing and/or other items (e.g., a bed, a chair, a blanket, etc.). The fit of the article to the wearer's body is important in ensuring that these wastes are contained, instead of leaking out. The fit of the article to the wearer's body may be affected by the size of the diaper waist opening, the size of the openings around the thighs, and the length or “pitch” of the diaper.
Disposable absorbent articles are also designed to be cost-effective. That is, the average consumer may have second thoughts about using a product that holds itself out as disposable if the cost per article is too high. Thus, manufacturers generally make such articles for use by individuals with a wide range of body types that may be classified by a broad criterion, such as weight, for example.
It will be recognized that the need to make products that conform to a wide range of body types competes with the desire for the article to fit snuggly to the user to contain wastes and limit leakage.
One way in which manufacturers attempt to balance the competing interests of proper fit and variation in body type is through the use of expandable materials. One such group of materials is known as stretch laminates. As the name suggests, these materials are actually composites of individual components that are laminated together, through the use of an adhesive, for example. A typical stretch laminate will attempt to combine an inner layer defined by a material having good elasticity, to accommodate varying body types, with outer layers defined by a fabric-like material, to accommodate user expectations for look and feel.
A complication arises in that these stretch laminates are notoriously difficult to manufacture. Considerable effort has gone into proposing new methods for the fabrication of stretch laminates. In particular, a considerable number of patents discuss the difficulties of fabricating these laminates, and the significant and extensive steps that must be undertaken to prepare these laminates. Certain patents recommend that steps to be taken before lamination, such as “neck bonded laminates.” Other patents recommend that steps to be taken after lamination, such as “activating” in ring rolls. Still other patents recommend special handling of the inner layer as part of the lamination process, such as holding the inner layer in a stretched configuration during the lamination. Concomitant with such significant and extensive pre-processing, post-processing or handling steps are significant fabrication costs.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide new stretch laminates and methods for making stretch laminates. In particular, it would be desirable to provide less expensive laminates produced by simpler fabrication methods.